Spanish tutor with 17 years of experience

Javier L.

I have been a full-time teacher for almost 17 years at this point, but it all started with tutoring. When I was getting my BA in Spain, I was not sure that I would go into education, so I thought tutoring English would be a good way of testing the waters. I started with one student, and soon I had at least two sessions every afternoon, Monday to Friday.

I decided to study linguistics in graduate school; although I grew up speaking Spanish, studying linguistics gave me the tools to help students effectively because I understand how languages work differently, I know how to explain those differences clearly, and I know how to teach towards proficiency, and not just memorization.

I then went back to school to get a Masters in education; I studied pedagogy, psychology, and curriculum development among many other things. I went back because I felt that, although I knew about languages, I wanted to learn more about how my students learn, and that was exactly what that degree did for me.

My focus is on using the language on a daily basis, rather than just learning about it. I like to target specific skills that my students need, rather than having them memorize vocabulary lists and verbal tenses. I like to challenge my students by having them work on things that are slightly beyond their proficiency level, because the only way to develop a skill is to keep trying todo something harder than what you already know.

The combination of my coursework and my experience in small independent schools where I can give individualized attention to my students, combined with the fact that I grew up speaking two languages and learned a third to come to the US make me a very effective teacher.

Language is a skill, and it is a living phenomenon. Languages open doors, change mind, and in my case, they changed my entire life. I love to share that with other people.